Open books
We would rather show you the budget than ask you to trust us. Three versions of the same first year, side by side: fully funded, a part-time director, and a shoestring. Every line shows what it buys under each.
Salaries, rent and insurance below are our own planning assumptions for Greater Cleveland, not published figures. Benchmark them against local nonprofit salary data and real quotes before any of this goes into a grant application. Everything else on this site carries a source; a forward-looking budget cannot, so we say so.
Two full-time people paid enough to stay, contracted specialists for the clinical work, our own rooms five days a week, and an outside evaluator so we can prove what happens to the women who come.
A half-time Executive Director and a full-time Program & Volunteer Manager who carries the day-to-day. Shared space three days a week, fewer contracted facilitators, evaluation done in-house with an advisor.
No paid director yet; the board and volunteers carry leadership. A half-time Program & Volunteer Manager, donated rooms, refurbished laptops, and volunteers doing the rest. It still buys open doors, the monthly talks, two circles and the resource finder.
| Line | What it covers | A · Fully funded | B · Part-time director | C · Shoestring |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Personnel | $230,520 | $153,720 | $44,960 | |
| Executive Director | Leadership, fundraising, partnerships, board. Under C the board and volunteers carry this. | $90,0001.0 FTE | $45,0000.5 FTE | $0Not funded |
| Program & Volunteer Manager | Circles, workshops, volunteers, the monthly talks | $58,0001.0 FTE | $58,0001.0 FTE | $29,0000.5 FTE |
| Payroll taxes & benefits | 24% of salaries: FICA, unemployment, workers' comp, a modest health contribution | $35,520 | $24,720 | $6,960 |
| Contracted facilitators & workshop leads | Licensed circle facilitators, CFP, elder law attorney, wellness practitioners | $38,000 | $20,000 | $6,000 |
| Bookkeeper / accountant (contract) | Monthly reconciliation, audit-ready records, 990 preparation | $9,000 | $6,000 | $3,000 |
| Space & occupancy | $62,400 | $33,000 | $11,400 | |
| Rent | A: conference room, welcome area, two private rooms. B: shared space three days a week. C: donated or borrowed rooms | $48,000 | $24,000 | $6,000 |
| Utilities — gas, electric, water | Roughly $900/month at full occupancy | $10,800 | $5,400 | $3,000 |
| Internet & phone | Business broadband plus a line that can host Facebook Live | $3,600 | $3,600 | $2,400 |
| Technology | $12,600 | $7,000 | $4,800 | |
| Computers & peripherals | A: four workstations, printer, camera and mic. C: two refurbished laptops and a streaming kit | $7,200 | $4,000 | $3,000 |
| Software & subscriptions | Scheduling, participant database, email, design, video | $4,800 | $2,400 | $1,200 |
| Website, hosting & domain | This site, kept current | $600 | $600 | $600 |
| Programs | $20,800 | $13,600 | $9,400 | |
| Program supplies & materials | Journals, workshop packets, hospitality, the small dignities | $10,000 | $6,000 | $4,000 |
| Participant support fund | Bus fare, parking and childcare so a woman can actually attend | $6,000 | $4,000 | $3,000 |
| Monthly talks | Speaker costs, refreshments, streaming for 24 sessions | $4,800 | $3,600 | $2,400 |
| Evaluation & learning | $18,000 | $8,000 | $3,500 | |
| Evaluation & data systems | A: an outside evaluator and outcome tools. B: in-house with an advisor. C: in-house, small tools budget | $18,000 | $8,000 | $3,500 |
| Operations | $19,500 | $13,500 | $9,000 | |
| Marketing & outreach | Reaching the woman who does not know we exist | $9,000 | $5,000 | $2,500 |
| Insurance & licensing | General liability, D&O, professional liability, state registrations | $6,500 | $6,000 | $5,500 |
| Staff & volunteer training | Trauma-informed practice, facilitator training, supervision | $4,000 | $2,500 | $1,000 |
| Contingency (5%) | $18,200 | $11,450 | $4,160 | |
| Total — year one | $382,020 | $240,270 | $87,220 | |
Payroll taxes and benefits are 24% of whatever salaries a scenario actually pays. Contingency is 5% of everything above it. Scenario B is the one we would most like your view on: it keeps the Program & Volunteer Manager full time on the theory that, with a half-time director, someone has to be in the building.
The same Center, at three sizes. These are planning targets, not promises.
| Service | A · Fully funded | B · Part-time director | C · Shoestring |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paid staff | Executive Director 1.0 and Program & Volunteer Manager 1.0 | Executive Director 0.5 and Program & Volunteer Manager 1.0 | Program & Volunteer Manager 0.5; board and volunteers lead |
| Open hours | Five days a week in our own rooms | Three days a week in shared space | Two evenings and a Saturday in borrowed rooms |
| Navigation sessions | Staffed daily, plus trained peer navigators | On open days, plus peer navigators | Peer navigators only, by appointment |
| Circles | Eight to ten runs a year, licensed and peer facilitators | Five or six runs a year | Two or three peer-led runs a year |
| Signature workshops | All five, each run at least once | Three of the five | One or two, when a volunteer lead is found |
| Monthly talks | 24 a year, one live and one in person each month | 24 a year | 24 a year; the in-person one in borrowed space |
| Career reinvention | Contracted career coach and résumé help | Limited coaching hours | Volunteer mentors and library career counselors |
| Wellness | Contracted yoga, breathwork and somatic practitioners | Occasional contracted sessions | Volunteer-led only |
| Resource finder | Built and free | Built and free | Built and free |
| Evaluation | Outside evaluator, outcome measures, real data | In-house with an advisor and basic tools | In-house, attendance and simple follow-up only |
You can sponsor a single line and see exactly what it did.